A carry knife, also known as a pocket knife or jack-knife that has one or more foldable blades that can easily be fitted into its handle. A carry knife can be easily fitted and carried out in a pocket. The knife is usually smaller in size and a regular carry knife blade is 5-15 cm. Here I will talk all about a carry knife for everyday use.
What Is A Carry Knife
A carry knife is a small knife that is small in size, easy to carry, and very handy. Two types of carry knives are usually available in the market-
- Carry Knife with a foldable blade.
- Carry knife with a fixed blade.
Foldable Blade Carry a Knife
This type of carry knife is very safe to use because these have locks. These will not be folded while operation until you manually unlock the blade. You can use the foldable knife at different angles like easily peeling of woods or to open a complex packaging. You can also use the back of this knife without the risk of folding the blade on your finger.
Fix Blade Carry Knife
If you need a knife for everyday use, then a fixed blade carry knife can be a good option for you. You will use the knife every day, so you might need to make a folder on your belt or pocket in which the knife will fit perfectly. For comfortable carrying, it should be very lightweight, and also the blade and the handle should be of perfect size for you. Most of the blade length of these knives varies from 2 to 3.5 inches and the handle is od 3.5 to 5 inches.
Uses of Carry Knife
There are more than a hundred uses of carry knives. It mainly depends on the operator. I will discuss some common uses of a carry knife.
- To Open a Package- This is probably the most common use of a small knife. For almost all the parcels that are delivered to our doorstep, we use a carry knife to cut them open easily. We should cut the cardboard, not the tape to open the package to prevent dirtying the knife.
- Cutting Fruit and Vegetables- This can be another great use of a carry knife. It is very satisfying to slice an apple and eat it. Do not use the knife to peel the apple because the peel is very healthy.
- As a can Opener- It is very difficult to find a can opener in the time of its need. You can use the carry knife as a substitute for a can opener but do not forget to sharpen it afterward. Opening a can make the sharp end of the blade dull.
- Staple Remover- There might be different reasons to remove staples. The tip of a carry knife can be very useful in this case.
- Cutting Hair- It will not give you a perfect style but you can cut your hair with a carry knife. This use is mainly for women cutting their long hair.
- Removing Clothing Tags- The clothing tags of the new clothes can be irritating. These are of plastic and make the skin itchy. These can easily be cut off by a carry knife.
- Carving Woods- You can bring out your artistic mind using a good quality carry knife. If you have enough skill, you can carve a magnificent sculpture or a functional object easily!
- Pencil Sharpening- You can use a carry knife like a pencil sharpener when a sharpener is not available. Sometimes sharpener can not do the sharpening as your requirement, that is when a small knife comes in handy.
- Removing Loose Threads- Loose threads can sometimes drive you crazy. If you pull them, sometimes the thread would break but sometimes it will just become unnecessarily long and might damage the cloth. In this case, you can use a carry knife for the easy solution to this problem without any damage to your cloth.
- Self-defense- If you are a hiker, you can use the knife for self-defense or maybe cut the unwanted barriers to make your way. You can also carry a knife to protect yourself from the snatchers. But all the knife is not legal to carry according to government rules.
Laws for Carrying a Knife
Publicly carrying a knife is illegal by law in some countries. But there are exceptions for chef’s knife, hunting knife, carry knife, etc. which solely depends on the law. There is a general guideline that must be followed if you own a knife.
- Knives that you can carry legally- You can carry a knife that’s blade length is smaller than 2.5 inches. And you can carry a swiss army knife, chef’s knife, multitool device knife, etc. almost anywhere legally.
- Places where carrying a knife is illegal- There are some specific locations where you can not carry a knife legally. These locations include Airports, Schools, Courts, planes, army bases, etc.
Types of Carry Knife
A carry knife is any fixed-blade or folding pocketknife that can be easily concealed on the body for everyday use, self-defense, etc. The knife’s size and shape are what make it concealable; it must not print through clothing when worn close to the skin. Thus, few utility knives are made to be carried in this way. The types of carry knives fall into two categories: traditional and modern. Traditional types include the following types of folding knives:
- Slip-joint folder, which can be opened with one hand but is only held closed by friction pressure of the blades against each other or against the handle material
- lock blade folder, which has a spring to hold the blade either open or closed
- Push dagger, in which the handle is perpendicular to the blade so that pushing down on the top of the extended knife pommel activates the blade’s opening action. Modern types include any folding knife with thumb studs or otherwise assisted opening. Assisted opening types include the following types of knives:
- Side opening (aka flipper) blade, which is held to one side by spring pressure or gravity and can be opened with a flick of the wrist (the Zancudo is an example); note that this type could also be classed as a traditional slip joint folder since it requires both hands to open the blade
- Axis locking, consisting of a rotating metal bar that locks the knife blade either open or closed (the Ultratech is an example); this type could also be classed as a traditional lock blade folder since it requires both hands to open the blade
Automatic opening types: Which automatically swing out and lock open on their own without the user having to flick his/her wrist; this includes types of knives such as the switchblade and the butterfly knife that are prohibited in some US localities.
Choosing a Knife
After deciding on a fixed blade knife or foldable blade knife, you should think of a major factor that is the composition of the metal by which the blade is made of. Knives are usually made from three types of steel. These are-
- Carbon steel
- Stainless steel
- Tool steel
Carbon steel can be sharpened easily, durable but the blade needs more care. The metal used in carbon steel is susceptible to corrosion. 420HC, 1095 and XC90 are the three types of carbon steel. Carbon steel is the hardest among these three metals. Stainless steel is not hard as carbon steel but the blade made by stainless steel is less susceptible to corrosion than carbon steel because of Chromium addition with stainless steel.
Stainless steel blades are cheaper than carbon steel blades. You can choose the AUS-8, 8Cr13MoV, VG 10 stainless, and in addition, use 9Cr, 7Cr chromium if you use your knife mostly on preparing dinner, water, camping, etc. The other type of steel is tool steel which is made out of a mixture of titanium, vanadium, molybdenum, and others. This is also strong steel but not good corrosion resistant as stainless steel.
Carry Knife brands
Carry knives are very useful for different everyday tasks. There are many brands of carry knives and they have their own strong points. Here I have mentioned some of the good carry knife brands that can suit your requirements.
1.Buck Knives
This is one of the top brands for carry knives or pocket knives. In 1902, Blacksmith Hoyt Buck first made buck knives in Kansas. These are well balanced, adaptable, have good sharpness, strong blade, and are of a very high standard.
Hoyt Buck invented a distinctive method to improve the knife’s edge retention. This brand is developed through the later generations and now this is one of the leading brands.
2.Kershaw Knives
These knives are known for their unique design. The Kershaw leek carry knife is very sharp, has a stainless steel body with good corrosion resistance, is slim, and is absolute for everyday carrying.
3.Emerson Knives
Emerson knives are developed in 1979 by Ernest Emerson who was a hand-to-hand combat instructor. These knives are used as a very skillful weapon by the united states military, navy seal team.
The Emerson CQC 7BW knife is developed on the original innovative folding design which has a razor-sharp blade and the signature wave design of the brand.
4.CRKT
Columbia river knife and tool company are known for their production of many affordable knives. The CRKT Pilar carry knife is a very affordable knife of this company that has a stainless steel body, thumb slot opening, and a reversible pocket clip. The main reputation of this company is they produce affordable knives but those knives do not feel cheap.
Conclusion
Knives are not always meant for a fight. There are different types of uses of a small carry knife. As a sharp tool, everyone should use a knife carefully. I hope this article will help you to choose the best carry knife or pocket knife according to your requirement.
Frequently Asked Question:
1.What Is Knife Crime?
Ans: Knife crime is defined as any offense recorded by the police where a knife or sharp instrument has been used. Knives and other sharp instruments are a growing problem in society today. Some people carry knives for protection, while others use them to threaten, injure or kill someone else.
2.Is It Normal To Carry a Knife?
Ans: The legal limit of blades that can be owned or purchased for carrying purposes is three inches or less. But the police are increasingly having to deal with incidents involving knives over this measurement. Recently a man was sentenced to life imprisonment after killing one of his co-workers with an eight-inch knife.
3.Is It Legal To Carry A Knife Or Blade On Your Belt In The UK?
Ans: If you are traveling outside of the European Union, you should take note that there are some places where knives are highly restricted. In the UK you can carry a knife with a folding blade that is no longer than 8 inches if it’s for your own use.
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